Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Launches Its Own VOD Platform

Alamo Drafthouse Cinema has officially thrown its hat into the Video On Demand ring. This morning, the company announced that they have partnered with ScreenPlus and Vista Cinema to launch Alamo On Demand, a 100 percent curated platform that is dedicated to bringing innovative films to the homes of movie-lovers everywhere. According to Alamo Drafthouse founder and Executive Chairman Tim League, Alamo On Demand encourages viewers to rent or purchase smaller titles they may have missed in theaters, such as Céline Sciamma’s deeply affecting romantic drama Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Says League:

Alamo On Demand helps us to continue the conversation past the theatrical window and recommend movies we love to our community. And in these shuttered days and beyond, these rentals and purchases help support your neighborhood theater.

Other movies to be included on the platform include Bong Joon-ho’s Best Picture winner Parasite, Clark Duke’s directorial debut Arkansas, and a hand-picked selection of films from Alamo Drafhouse’s own Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. Each title on the platform has been nominated by one of the site’s programmers, ensuring its quality. “Many of us learned about movies thanks to the staff picks at our local video stores," says Henri Mazza, Alamo Drafthouse Vice President of Content, Sponsorship, and Events. “That’s the spirit of what we’re trying to do with Alamo On Demand.”

This resurgence of the video store mentality isn’t new for Alamo Drafthouse. At four select cinemas across the country — Los Angeles, San Francisco, Brooklyn, and Raleigh — they opened up Video Vortex, a fully-functioning video store. With the current closure of retail stores and movie theaters, Alamo On Demand is trying to simulate the same experience online. Since most of us don’t own VHS players anymore, it actually works out better. You will have to pay to rent these movies, however, but it’s a small price for quality cinema.

Some of Alamo On Demand’s studio partners include Lionsgate, NEON, Sony Pictures Classics, and Magnolia Pictures. As new content is added, the team of programmers will curate their recommendations under different categories such as “Weird Wednesdays” and “Champagne Cinema and Afternoon Tea.” Truly, there’s something for everyone.